AFL Round 22 – GWS Giant v Richmond: Sheedy’s next move

Kevin Sheedy has had many reincarnations throughout his career. The most recent of them concluded on Sunday, leaving the rest of us to ponder what he will do next.

He was a man possessed the first time I can recall laying eyes on him. As he charged his way through a throbbing crowd, manically whirling his jacket above his head, I wondered whether he was okay. I later learned, when I was old enough to understand, that he was indeed possessed – possessed by the feelings that come with a 2-point win.

In that moment – with a premiership side under his command and a further 20 seasons of coaching ahead of him – would Kevin have envisaged finishing his career the way he has?

When posed this question during the week, Kevin responded: “I thought I’d coached for the last time when I finished at Essendon … this has been a special job.”

That’s the beauty of Kevin Sheedy. He’s a man so in love with the game that he’s willing to do anything for its betterment – even if it means languishing at the bottom rungs of the ladder for several seasons. It would be an odd feeling after so many years of success.

In a week so marred by other goings-on, the AFL community could have been forgiven for forgetting about this game. The Essendon drug scandal has a tendency to overshadow most things these days. There are murmurings that the embattled clubs is perhaps Sheedy’s next port of call, with the Bombers almost certain to become coach-less in the coming days.

But the fans up north certainly did not forget. On a glorious late winter’s day, with the sun blanketing the boutique stadium, 12,314 people poured into the ground, providing the Giants with their biggest home crowd for the season.

Unfortunately for the Giants’ faithful, the result held no romanticism for the departing coach. Although, an emphatic Richmond win would have delighted Kevin’s mother, who was a devout Tiger until the day she passed in 2004. In that sense, the win would have made at least a part of Kevin happy, I’m sure.

Equally disappointing for the fans was Jeremy Cameron’s failure to impact the game at all. Prior to the match, Andrew Demetriou believed that Cameron was to become the “most significant” winner of the Coleman medal in history. But the prospect of the Coleman going to Cameron is now made difficult, with Jarryd Roughead sitting four goals clear of him.

But for the Tigers, the afternoon was an absolute treat.

I have written previously that being a Richmond supporter means that your pessimism is often tested but never dies. If our pessimism didn’t suffer a dramatic and horrific demise mid-way through the second quarter, I’d suggest it’s not far from it.

Richmond’s first half was record breaking. After a relatively even opening quarter, the Tiger’s kicked a remarkable eleven goals to 1 point in the second, putting the result beyond doubt. At half time, the margin was 80-points, giving the Tiger’s their most successful half of football since 1931.

The Giants managed to quell some of the onslaught after halftime, the goal fest somewhat dried up for most of the third quarter.

But the floodgates reopened in the final term, and the Tigers went on to claim a 121-point victory. Not since 1996 have Richmond recorded such a ruthless win, when they thrashed Fitzroy by 151-points in the clubs final season.

As the siren sounded, the finals bound Tigers moved quickly from celebrating to pay tribute to Kevin Sheedy.

There was a lovely sense of symmetry in his exit from Skoda Stadium, as both the Richmond and GWS football clubs lined the race. One team he has helped to create, the other helped create him. In the fading Sydney light stood two bookends of a marvellous career, and through them went Kevin with a record tucked modestly under his arm.

It was nothing like the image of the man I had been introduced to when I was a young girl. But as he made his way from the ground he looked content. His job there was done. Now he was off to think of his next adventure.

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Comments

‘There was a lovely sense of symmetry in his exit from Skoda Stadium, as both the Richmond and GWS football clubs lined the race. One team he has helped to create, the other helped create him. In the fading Sydney light stood two bookends of a marvellous career, and through them went Kevin with a record tucked modestly under his arm.’

Great closing para too Catherine. Just hope it’s not Richmond where he finishes up. He’s had his day at Punt Road. Maybe he should take up gardening.

Lovely piece of writing and great reflections on a man that is impossible to hate, despite his many idiosyncracies (and the Eagles were on the end of some particular throat slitting and coat waving examples).
I think the key to Sheedy is that is love of the game is just an expression of his wholehearted embrace of life.
P.S. Good to see that the Great Helmsman has put his kiss of death on young Cameron. I hope he can jonah Roughead also, so that our Josh Kennedy can win the Coleman. The Great Helmsman’s talents have no boundaries.

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